GANESH DECO BROOCH

£5950

Ganesh is the Indian god who is the remover of obstacles and bringer of wealth and happiness - and who would n't want that? Consequently he is one of the most popular of the Hindu gods. Whether you believe that or not, it may do good and it can't do harm. In this brooch, made in the Deco period of the 1920s, Ganesh is carved from sapphire, and mounted in gold with diamonds and bright red rubies. A total weight of 12.7 grams gives us a carat weight of 63 carats, so deducting the estimated weight of the setting, the sapphire would weigh around 40 carats.
The brooch has an overall height of 1 1/4 inches: 34 mm
There are many stories of Ganesh's origin-one is that he was Parvati's son, and was guarding her from being surprised whilst bathing by her husband Shiva, who, angered by his refusal to let him through, cut off his head. Parvati was so grieved by this that Shiva, relenting, sent out messengers urgently to find a new head-and the first creature they came across was an elephant, whose head they cut off and re-attached to Ganesh.